Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre is in the running for a prestigious national honour after being selected as a finalist in the ukactive Awards.

The £22.5million centre, run by leading operator Everyone Active on behalf of North West Leicestershire District Council, has been shortlisted in the 'Regional Club/Centre of the Year – Midlands' category.

Should the team be successful in the regional section, they will also be considered for the 'National Club/Centre of the Year' award.

The ukactive Awards celebrate the best of the physical activity sector and are designed to recognise excellence and innovation across health, wellbeing and fitness in the UK.

Finalists will now go through to the next stage of the judging process where they will undergo further assessments including a mystery shop and digital review.

The regional winners and national champion will be announced at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on Thursday, October 26.

Duncan Gibb, Everyone Active's contract manager, said: "It's a huge honour to be shortlisted for the ukactive Awards and this reflects the hard work and dedication our team puts in on a daily basis.

"To be selected as a finalist is an achievement in itself and we'd like to thank all of our members and the local community for their ongoing support."

Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre has enjoyed an impressive summer having achieved an 'excellent' banding score for service quality in July.

The centre underwent a two-day Quest Plus assessment. Quest is a continuous improvement tool for leisure facilities and sports development teams and is managed by Right Directions in partnership with 4Global, on behalf of Sport England.

Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre achieved an 'excellent' rating, attained by only 22 per cent of Quest-registered centres.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, North West Leicestershire District Council Portfolio Holder for Community Services, said: "We're very proud of the difference the Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre is making to health and fitness in the district.

"To have further recognition of the high-quality services provided by making it on to the shortlist of a national award is a further testament to the hard work of everyone involved with the centre."